


Do Androids Dream of Electric Love?

by ez_cookie



Category: Bee and PuppyCat
Genre: F/M, Soulmate AU, Soulmates, slight spoilers for lazy in space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:00:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25208107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ez_cookie/pseuds/ez_cookie
Summary: Bee was not human, even though she felt human enough most of the time. She was instructed to blend in, so she kept a small flicker of belief close to her core that she was almost, almost, almost like them. Bee never felt different. But she also knew she didn’t, and would never, have a soulmate.
Relationships: Bee/Deckard (Bee and Puppycat)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 69





	Do Androids Dream of Electric Love?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [luminyan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/luminyan/gifts).



Bee knew about soulmates, of course. It wasn’t something her dad taught her, nor something she knew innately. The things programmed into her from the start were the essentials: emotions, hunger, empathy, immune system, language, motor skills. Smile. The complicated and elusive magic of the human soul wasn’t worth documenting right into Bee’s system. Bee was not human, even though she felt human enough most of the time. She was instructed to blend in, so she kept a small flicker of belief close to her core that she was almost, almost, almost like them. Bee never felt different. But she also knew she didn’t, and would never, have a soulmate. 

Like with most things, Bee had to learn about soulmates from the world around her. As a child, she got along well enough with anyone she ran across. They saw her as eccentric, perhaps, but nothing more. Bee delighted in being different. Back then, she had her dad. He was enough. Her dad was always there complimenting her on how well she was running, creating games for her to pass the time with, and holding up pillows for her to practice punching and hugging. Before her dad left, he’d introduced Bee to the Wizards. Then he was gone, leaving behind a box and a promise to return. 

So, Bee had a new family. Reluctant as most of them were to befriend Bee, she has Cass and Deckard. They were closer to her age and nice, even if Deckard was a bit quiet and stumbled over his words. Cass was protective and funny. She also taught Bee more than almost anyone. More than her dad. About the stuff Cass deemed to be really important. Bee had been operational for ten years when Cass told her about soulmates under the privacy of a thin blanket fort. 

“Mom said that a soulmate is someone who’s like… made for you.”

Bee was made. But she didn’t know who for. Not yet. Maybe not ever. 

“The moment you fall in love with each other if you meet them… you can see color,” Cass explained seriously. “So, I guess I gotta fall in love as soon as possible. That way, I don’t miss out.”

Bee already saw in color. More colors than the normal human eye could perceive. Bee had hit Cass with a pillow, yelling up to the ceiling, “More colors?”, barely able to contain herself. “Oh boy,” she said. “I don’t know if I could handle that…”

“The colors?” Cass said. “Or falling in love?”

“The colors,” Bee said with a groan. “Just thinking about that makes me want to lie down.”

“So, lie down, then,” Cass giggled. Bee took the invitation and flopped down unto the layers of blankets, staring up at the top of the fort. The blanket was a pale pink. After a second, Cass lied down next to her, staring at the blanket as well. “Wesley told me he doesn’t want to fall in love,” Cass said. “But he can see colors. Did I ever tell you that?” 

“No!” Bee yelled. “Oh my god… secret crush!”

“He said he fell in love with the ocean and with fishing. Whatever that means.” Cass easily shrugged and rolled onto her side to face Bee. “He’s weird. You’re weird too, though.” Bee smiled back at Cass.

“I can see colors,” Bee said. “That blanket up there…” Bee pointed up. Cass rolled onto her back once more and stared at it. “It’s pink.”

“I  _ know  _ it’s pink, stupid,” Cass said. “What does  _ pink  _ look like?” Bee thought hard. 

“Like a smile,” Bee said. “It’s my favorite. Or...one of my favorites.”

“If you can really see color,” Cass said. “It means you have a soulmate. Or you love something.” Bee shrugged. It made sense to her. “So, what do you love?” Cass asked. “Come on, spill!”

“I dunno…” Bee said. “Everything?”

* * *

It was at times like this when Bee was too aware of her shortcomings as an android. Her dad always told her she was a very good android, perfect even, but Bee never tended to focus on her state of being. She was sure the Wizards didn’t go through each day thinking “I’m a human doing human things. I’m a human doing human things” every couple of hours. She just felt like Bee. 

And Bee was not very good at emotions. 

Her own emotions were fine! Bee felt things strongly. Joy when she watched her favorite show or ate a calorie-laden dessert. Comfort when she was around the Wizards. Fear when a temp job with Puppycat turned just a bit too dangerous. Sorrow when she got fired, got yelled at, or missed Pretty Patrick. Loneliness, though she often wished she wasn’t so good at that one. It was dealing with the emotions of others that was... dicey. 

And Deckard was feeling very strongly. 

“Thanks for calling, Bee,” he said over the line. Something in his voice was wrong. Bee wanted to understand. There was no way to unravel his tone and study it. All she could do was listen and hope she responded appropriately. “I was—wasn’t sure. Wasn’t sure how to say this over text.”

“That’s okay,” Bee said. “I missed your voice.” She let her hair down out of the pigtails she’d precariously tied them into that morning. Her nails tapped the case on her phone. “Did you… miss mine too?”

“Yeah,” Deckard said. “I did.”

“Neat!” Bee said. She figured it’d be polite to give him a sample of what he was missing. “AHHHHHHHHHH!”

“Woah, Bee,” Deckard said, chuckling. “That’s uh...that’s really loud.”

“I know!” she yelled. “How’s cooking school going?”

“Oh, you know,” Deckard said. “It’s fine. How about your...space work?”

“It’s awesome,” Bee said. “I paid rent on time this month. Again!”

“Congrats,” Deckard said. “You’re right it’s… awesome. I’m glad.” Deckard didn’t seem glad. He seemed… Bee didn’t even know. But there was something else in his voice that she didn’t know how to deal with. She knew guessing wouldn’t get her far, so she used her usual method of being blunt.

“What are you calling about?” Bee asked. “We talk about school and work over text just fine.”

“Yeah. No, you’re… right. It’s just weird is all. I don’t want to keep things from you.” To Bee’s knowledge, Deckard didn’t ever keep things from her. It was a consequence of growing up together. But him saying that… meant he had been keeping something from her. Bee’s joy seeped out of her. She felt hollow.

“Okay,” she said. 

“That day on the dough-doughnut planet?”

Oh. Bee should’ve known this was coming. Bee was strange to other people. She still remembered the way Crispin had looked at her for weeks after he found out. Like she was dangerous or undesirable. Bee was sure he didn’t mean it. She was odd. He couldn’t help it. But the thought of reliving those weeks with Deckard...

“That day I started seeing in color.” Bee puzzled over the words, then quickly remembered. That meant… oh. Deckard loved her. Did she know that? Bee felt like deep down, she knew that, but hearing it aloud was like fireworks.

“I didn’t understand for a will—while? For a while,” Deckard said. “I thought I...loved you already. I felt like I did. I just thought maybe we weren’t soulmates, but I figured we could work with it! And then I saw you on that planet… unraveling. And that was it. I saw every color at once. I saw...you, Bee. I was terrified at the time--”

“Of me?” Bee asked. She brought her knees in close to her chest and rested her chin on them. It was too quiet in the apartment. Deckard had to say something soon. She was starting to hear the  _ whirs _ of her own inner workings. 

“Of everything,” Deckard said. He went quiet. He went quiet for too long. “You had saved me. You crushed that rock to dust and… yeah, I was scared but you… you look so beautiful in color.”

“Everything does,” Bee said. 

“Did… you see color then, too?” Deckard asked. His voice was quiet. “Or any time before that? I didn’t know how to ask.” Bee felt her free hand curl into a fist unconsciously. She grasped the fabric of her skirt and waited. “I thought I would have seen color long before then. I like you a lot, B-Bee.” Bee wanted to get up and pace, but she couldn’t leave the couch. It felt like her smallest movement could shatter the moment and scare Deckard off for good. “I think it’s because it was the moment that I really knew you,” Deckard says. “I guess...even if my mind couldn’t grasp what I was feeling about you and the fact that you’re...my heart had already made up its mind. It’s heart-mind. What?”

Bee laughed into the phone. Deckard was trying to as well. 

“I’ve seen color all my life,” Bee confessed. It felt like cheating. It felt unfair, saying it to him. But Bee wouldn’t lie to Deckard. Never to anyone, but especially never to Deckard. “But I like you a lot too. I miss your jelly desserts.”

“So… you think I should come home?” Deckard asked. “Because I will! I… I know Howl’s cafe is probably needing me and… I want to be there for you, and not just over text--”

“No, no, no!” Bee yelled into the phone, waving her free arm up and down. “You can’t drop out! You’ve worked so hard! I want you to finish because I still need time to get good enough at baking to make you a welcome home cake! And you can use your cooking school brain to tell me why it sucks!” Deckard laughed softly through the receiver. Then he went quiet. Bee hoped he wasn’t packing. She wanted him to succeed, and she knew his family wanted that too, even if they weren’t so good at showing it all the time. 

“Can you even have a soulmate?” Deckard asked. “I’m mean...you’re a...you know. I just…” Deckard sighed in defeat. “What are you?”

“I’m...Bee,” she said. 

“Yeah,” Deckard said. Even Bee could hear the smile in his voice. “That makes sense.”

“Once you’re done with cooking school,” Bee said. “We can go on a date. If you want.”

“I’d like that,” Deckard said.

“We can work with this, right?” Bee said. Deckard laughed. She could finally read the joy in his voice again. 

“Yeah,” Deckard said. “Uh...te-text me?” Bee nodded and hung up the phone. She grabbed a throw pillow from the other end of the couch and held it to her face.

“Bleeeeeehhhhhhhh!!!” she happy-screamed into it. It felt good. Deckard’s joy at the end of the call was surging through her. She needed an outlet for some of it. The noise seemed to alert Puppycat, who came waddling in on his hind legs, looking annoyed.

“Hey,” Bee said to Puppycat. He was glaring at her, most likely wanting her to relent the couch so he could crash early. He was oddly territorial when it came to furniture. “Fine, fine, I’m moving,” she said. “But you know I’m gonna have to move you later.”

**_“Finally. I have usurped the best seat from you once more!”_ ** Puppycat chirped. 

Bee sighed.

“Yeah. You got it,” she said. She stared at the piles of garbage in the corners of the living room. In the indigo moonlight, the labels and parts were shades of blues, greys, and dark violets. Despite how upset and lonely Bee felt, she was glad Deckard could see them now. Even trash was gorgeous in color. If Deckard couldn’t have Bee than he could have...sunsets. Rainbow desserts. Piles of trash. Whatever he wanted.

“Puppycat,” Bee asked. “Do you have a soulmate?” Puppycat looked at Bee and glared at her with a low hum.

**_“No mortal lives up to my standards.”_ ** Bee gathered some trash off the floor and carried it over to the garbage can. There was no use cluttering up the living space if her roommate couldn’t appreciate the colors. Plus, it’d be one less thing for Cardamon to lecture her about. 

“I don’t have one either,” Bee said. “...but I can still love.” Puppycat didn’t answer, instead curling up on the couch and closing his eyes. “Is that weird?” Bee dumped out her armful of garbage, her eyes catching the starlight through the window. She walked over to the window to close the curtains, certain that the moonlight would bother Puppycat, only to look back and see that he was staring intently into the night sky as well.

**_“No.”_ **

**Author's Note:**

> There are not nearly enough fics for Bee and Puppycat
> 
> ...i shall fix that.
> 
> Please leave a comment! <3


End file.
